


hyeon's hell

by cypressswamplands



Category: CIX (Band), Kpop - Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Action, Child Abuse, Explosions, Explosives, Gang activity, Heists, Hell, Horror, Inferno - Freeform, Inferno References (La Divina Commedia | The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri), Original Character - Freeform, Original Fiction, Orphanage, Police Brutality, Religion, inspired by cix's mv for "jungle", mental torment, seven deadly sins personal interpretation, starvation (brief mention)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27523075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cypressswamplands/pseuds/cypressswamplands
Summary: everybody thinks hell is hot, where demons and devils taunt, tease and torture the souls of sinners. but that isnt necessarily the case for hyeon, at least. not for hyeon, and not for his brothers.
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my first work on ao3 which i publish, and my writing is a bit rusty since i havent written a full fledged fiction in about 3 months or so, please be kind and leave some kudos if you think it was good enough :D future chapters coming soon!

hyeon would grow to regret wishing he was rich. we all know just about anyone can get away with petty crimes like shoplifting or small acts of arson, but the greed flowing through his veins was much like a snake, slithering its way up a fresh, paralyzed victim who would soon become its lunch. its not like he didnt have a purpose for his urges, though. he, who was the leader of his group, had to provide. the rest of his friends were expecting him to be most successful, their lives depended on what he had to offer. they were a group of ‘rebels’, you could say. they originally lived in a christian orphanage, managed by a priest and a few nuns, but they didnt like their lives there. they were forced into submission by their higher ups, forced to work and forced to behave just as they were instructed. there was nothing exciting about all of that… so the five of them ran away. they burnt all paperwork proving their existence, their ids, their birth certificates- and left.

now, they lived on the streets. during the winter, theyd huddle up together for warmth and sleep wherever they could. they robbed small corner shops for food whenever they were hungry, and bathed in the cold waters of countryside rivers. they were young, and for now, they seemed to be truly living their best lives. up until hyeon, the mastermind behind their orphanage escape, decided he wanted to have more power. he even went out of his way to get a few fake ids and paperwork, to replace the ones they had destroyed. they cost a lot, but it was worth it.

hyeon and his group waited until the perfect moment. they had a plan, they had the supplies needed… so they executed. their days went by, and the more days that passed, the more high class robberies they commited. they wasted their money in clubs, bars, hotels, and they gained a name for their little gang. they finally settled in a sketchy neighborhood. not the fanciest, but the building they managed to be their home was just right. seemingly abandoned- with an extra secret entrance to a cellar. the cellar was what seemed to whoever went to investigate the only thing there, but if only they would have dug a little bit deeper… they would have truly discovered the groups hideout.

the teenagers had turned into flourishing young men by now. by their standards, at least. they had stash over stash over stash of emergency money, guns, bombs…

they had been planning a big heist this time. they would rob and then blow up a bank, and hyeon would make sure it all went perfect.

“are you sure about this? arent we striving for _too big_ this time?” asked one of his now family members. they were so close they were brothers- having been raised together all this time, at the orphanage.

“no, we can do it. im sure we can. weve been over this, well never know unless we try. and even if we get caught, i wouldnt mind blowing some cops heads,” hyeon replied. he was confident, a big smile on his face. he glanced over at all his friends and they seemed delighted in the end.

as hyeon climbed into his bunk bed, he thought about how it would all go. he ran over the plan through his head again, just to make sure there were no flaws, smiled, ruffled his hair, and as his head hit the pillow, he was out cold.

the sound of police sirens and shouting was loud and clear all over the empty street. the moon was shining in the sky as it watched closely. hyeon had finished planting the last bomb, and was preparing to flee the bank, bags full of money, his grip tight on his trusty gun, remote in his pocket. he looked in the direction where the rest of his posse was headed, and ran the opposite way, so the police would catch him and not his brothers in the case of failure.

half of the police squad hurried inside the building, unknowing of the bombs that were about to explode and kill them. the rest stood outside, watching around carefully. hyeon was just far enough to still see the building, but too far for the remote to function.

hyeon left the bag in an alleyway, and got closer to the building. he painfully stood out amongst the rest of the curious civilians, and as soon as he got close enough for the remote to function and for the explosives to respond, an undercover policeman caught sight of him and alerted the rest. hyeon hurriedly pushed the button, and ran for his dear life, as the adrenaline pumped and rushed through every centimeter of his body. he was chased, and the cop wasnt losing pace, hyeon turned around for a moment to observe what was going on, but the man following him had his own gun pulled out and aimed directly at hyeons head.

panic struck hyeon. he was doing so well! everything couldnt have just… lead to his death, right? this was the big heist! he would be rich! he could provide for his brothers! he could become more powerful, he could-

but in the one moment he took to think, hyeon failed to realize that he had frozen in place, and his gun had been pointing at the cop on instinct. but he hesitated. the opposite party did not. the sound of the policemans gun was overridden by the sound of a grand explosion. the bullet collided with hyeons forehead, and he was out. his heartbeat ceased and it all went quiet.

hyeons eyes shot wide open. where was he? it was dark, but he could see fine. the clouds were in the shape of human skulls and the sky was a sickly dark red color. he was standing up, balanced well, as he had been a moment ago- wait, what had just happened? it all seemed so fuzzy.

the young man was on some sort of shore. small, dirty waves of black fluid washed over what seemed to be sand. they even almost touched his toes, but something told hyeon to stay away from the substance. his breathing was hard, painful, almost. as if he was hit previously or something of the sort.

a small boat was peacefully travelling along the fluid, coming straight towards hyeon. he scratched his head a bit, wondering what all that could be about. but the boat was getting closer fast, so he decided that whatever it could have had in mind for him, it wouldnt be so bad. surely it wouldnt. as the boat inched closer and closer, hyeon did as well. eventually, he got on.

as soon as his second foot touched the old decaying planks, which smelled of dirt and mold, a hand shot up from the depths of the black liquid that was beneath the vessel. startled, hyeon jumped a bit and tripped, falling onto his butt. not too long after, another hand shot up and grasped at the boat. then another.. then another. a chain reaction had been enabled and within seconds, the entire body of water was alive. hands shot up, reached for hyeons legs, feet, hoping to be pulled up and saved from the damnation they were bound to experience for the rest of life itself. others tried pulling the fresh soul down along with them so theyd feel less alone, despite being surrounded by thousands of others just like themselves. hyeons eyes were wide as plates, heart beating a million miles an hour, sweat starting to show at his temples. what was going on? what the hell was all of this? what was the explanation? nothing made sense, it all felt so unnatural, just where the hell was this place? fear started budding inside of hyeons soul, and the boat ride felt so long and dreadful. it seemed like hours.. no, entire days of being on that wretched piece of wood.

hyeon lost track of how many hands had reached at him by now. but his wish came true- finally, there was no more fluid to traverse. he had found land, or rather, the land brought him to itself. slowly, shakily, in fear, he got up on his feet, looking around, trying to observe where he was. first thing he felt underneath his feet when he got off the boat were sharp fragments. were they glass shards? bone shards? they were abrasive enough to make his feet bleed at any move, but the pain was bearable. nothing he couldnt handle, for sure!

“huh-” hyeon, startled, jumped a bit. two dark, cloaked figures suddenly appeared next to him. they grabbed onto his arms with grips of steal.

“sorry, what are you- who are- what are you doing?!” he shouted at the two people who began dragging him behind them towards some place.

something… suddenly clicked in hyeons mind. suddenly, he remembered. as they walked a path lit by ancient looking torches and as he occasionally hurt his feet in the sharp bits on the ground, everything started making sense. this was just like the hell the priest at his orphanage spoke of. had he really died? he.. he died. he left his brothers behind, only to be shot by a bastard cop. wow… he didnt expect to go in such a lowly manner. if only his plan had went the right way-

hyeons attention was suddenly piqued by the odd sound which the figures made. it sounded like a word, but hyeon couldnt put his finger on it. it sounded almost human but not enough for him to be able to comprehend what it meant. suddenly, there was a gigantic door. after the figures both muttered another word, the door opened, and inside, a huge altar with a statue above it stood proud. the altar was made of what looked like white marble or quartz, it was the purest thing he had seen down here until now. not even the statue which sat above it could compare, despite also being made out of a white material.

the young man was dragged some more by the figures, until he felt a strong presence order him to lay himself onto the altar. and he did- despite not wanting to, he felt obligated, bewitched almost. magical, glowing chains slithered themselves around his throat, wrists, ankles, and he was bound. the statue started moving, morphing, shifting, until a boiled, molten, golden sort of liquid started seeping from it and onto his face. it burned, it stung, it hurt- and it was spreading to his entire body. hyeon started screaming in agony, it hurt so bad, and the molten substance was entering through his pores into his inner organs, he was suffocating, he couldnt breathe, he-

he woke up with a jolt. he was on the same pure while altar, still tied up except this time the chains were longer… his skin was no longer hot as the sun. he was cold, so, so cold. it felt almost unbearable but… at the same time, its as if all of his senses were stripped from him or at the very least damaged beyond repair. he couldnt hear anything. he could not see anything past the altar. he could speak, but was he really willing to give up all that energy for a few meaningless words?

if only he hadnt died… oh. right. he was dead. this was hell. was his family okay? he wondered if the rest of his group got away that night. he didnt know if the time traveled at the same pace here, so he wasnt even sure how much time had passed in his original plane.

dread. that was all he was capable of feeling right now. how could he, who had to protect and care for his brothers, be so goddamn stupid. all it took was one moment of fear to take over and he was out. like a warm candle getting extinguished by a small gust of air. for some reason, despite this all being so real, so true, hyeon couldnt believe it. deep down inside he wished this could all only be the dream caused by a deep coma, but that wasnt possible. as his memories slowly and gracefully flowed back to him, he sharply inhaled. the bullet would have collided directly with his frontal lobe and possibly with the rest of his brain, so there was truly no way he could still have been alive. he hoped at least that cop would be going to prison for shooting him straight in the head, but in this situation, who was he to hope? his hopes wouldnt collide or interfere with the living world any longer.

as he inhaled and exhaled more, he started wondering just what he was breathing. his lungs expanded with every breath, yet they felt empty. it really didnt feel as though any sort of oxygen was truly travelling through his body or filling his lungs. it all felt so dull. so cold. with the little energy he had left, he raised a finger and slowly dragged it across his cheek. the skin on his face felt much like ice. he let out a little hiss of pain though. the few loose rags he had been wearing since waking up in hell couldnt possibly help provide any warmth for the young man.

his thoughts began travelling again. he actually couldnt forgive himself for dying just like that. did his friends even know? did they know he was bound to suffer in a cold, freezing void for the rest of eternity? did they finish their heist?

this was all his fault. if he hadnt planned such a big robbery- if he hadnt gotten the idea to flee the orphanage… they all would have been safe now, wouldnt they? alive, warm, although uncomfortable, their lives would never have had to become so harsh. they wouldnt have had to spend their winters in the backs of alleys, hugging for warmth, shivering and shaking as they did. they would have had warm beds to return to. but hyeon was greedy and egotistical. he thought he could have been better. he thought he could be more successful without the help of the priest and nuns. and look where that had gotten him.

meanwhile, in the overworld, the four robbers left had arrived at their headquarters, unscathed and safe. it felt weird that hyeon hadnt returned yet, but they knew he had it in him to come back. he… he had to. if he didnt come back, what would they have done? continued their activities? gave up and tried to become good citizens as they were a few years ago? would they just give up their gang and this reputation they had built for themselves? it did seem like that was the reasonable next choice they had to make.

“ _gang leader ‘hyeon’, shot by undercover police officer after planting explosives attempting to flee the bank he had robbed. the man was shot straight in the head, resulting in a fatal wound which resulted in instant death. the rest of the gang are being searched for, and if nobody claims the mans body, it will be cremated._ ” the tv blasted the news, and what hyeons brothers heard made them drop whatever they were holding. they… they couldnt believe it. tears jerked at all of their eyes, in sync, and they all bursted out crying.

“no, you have to be kidding,” one of them exclaimed. he couldnt believe it. this wasnt real.

“hes… hes dead… hes really never coming back..?” the youngest of their group mumbled, not expecting an answer.

but hyeon was deceased, and suffering deep within hell, imagining all the possible things that could have happened after his terrible demise. as more time passed, the void got colder and colder. the blood and water within hyeons body started freezing, and his eyes, despite being wide open, remained unmoving. his body had become still, yet his mind still raced.

people usually think hell is a place where sinners burn, but the cold reality of hyeons hell was much more cruel. there were no demons trying to taunt him for his sins. there was no devil. there were no torture devices. there was only him, with his mind awake and lucid as ever, yet his body paralyzed and unwilling to move despite him wishing it would. he wished he would have tried struggling while he could still move, despite his limbs being frigid, he wished he still could.

would he ever be able to receive a second chance? another shot at the life he had lost? it seemed as though the time stood still in the void he was stuck in. he lost count of his own heartbeats. but time did move. the more time flowed, the more glass started building around his body which laid on the marble altar. at this point, even hyeons thoughts had gone dead quiet.

another cloaked figure, of the same sort which dragged him into the original altar, stood next to his glass prison. for the first time in what seemed like thousands of years, hyeons eyes moved. they were sore, and a shock of pain made its way through his every cell.

the figure extended its hand towards the glass. all of this was overwhelming for hyeon. he had been numb and frozen this entire time, and now suddenly he felt pain worse than he had ever felt. but the glass vanished, and he was, in the blink of an eye, in a completely different room, still bound by chains. in front of him, a mirror. a clear mirror which showed him as he looked. his body was intact, yet colorless. the cold never left, only the paralyzing feel that accompanied it for so long.

he stared into his own eyes. his image in the mirror seemed unfamiliar. all the regret and sensory deprivation the marble altar inside of the void had brought him made him forget why he was there in the first place. he forgot what he had lived before. if he was ever even alive to begin with. he moved his gaze around the room, and after a few moments, his knees buckled underneath him. he was so… tired. he was fatigued. his eyes never once closed to rest ever since he arrived in hell. there was a deep fog covering the roof of the room, which started slowly enveloping him.

what seemed like thick vines began travelling from the corners, and as hyeon stared at his reflection once more, the vines took hold of his torso, eventually enveloping his entire body into a cocoon. despite the fact that before, when he breathed, everything felt empty, now he really couldnt breathe. he was suffocating, and this time it was for real. its… not like he could die a second time, though. whatever were to happen, he accepted it. hes long forgotten where or who he was. his reflection in the mirror seemed alien. he lost all worth, even in his own eyes. and that was why he had fallen in hell.

it was time for him to be reborn.

it was time for his soul to embrace a fresh new start.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a direct prequel to the first one, meaning that everything from this chapter happens before the first one! the characters will interact more with eachother in this one! i hope you like it :D

there the five stood, gathered around their dining table, about to dig into their food. tomorrow was a big day, so today's dinner would have been just as grand. the oldest of the bunch, kwan, had gone to a restaurant to pick up a bunch of delicacies, and each one of his brothers was thankful. 

a small rumble could be heard. today, the members of the small gang practiced their stamina, shooting skills, close combat skills and how to properly plant bombs so their heist would go according to plan, not really having the time to have any proper meals. the culprit of the funny growl was yoojun’s stomach, who had been pretty empty ever since the early morning when they had their breakfast.

“haha, yoojun, your stomach hasn't growled so loudly since we were small and the priest cut our food supply,” laughed sang. he thought this was funny, although back then it wasn't the most pleasant experience at all. he noticed the rest started spacing out, and so did he. yoojuns mind flashed back to the past the fastest, as he remembered clear as day,

  
  


_ yoojun’s pov. _

_ “hey, yoojun! come help me a bit over here!”  _

_ “okay! im coming!” i yelled in response to kwan. kwan was the oldest, so i had to make sure to listen to him.  _

_ i stumbled to my feet as i had previously been sitting down on the cold church floor, watching as my brothers cleaned around the place. it was a nice saturday afternoon, the sun shone through the colorful glass windows and it smelled of myrrh. i always thought myrrh was such a nice, comforting scent.  _

_ as i was making my way towards my brother, i heard a noise which distracted me from the side, and suddenly i felt my foot colliding with something. oh no! oh no, no, no! _

_ “yoojun! hold on, be careful there!” hyeon yelled at me, a little surprised at what had just happened. it only dawned on me then what i had done. i tripped over a tall candle holder leg and knocked it over. that wouldn't have been such a problem if there weren't old, fragile paintings right underneath. i watched as the one on top caught on fire and, fearful, i started crying. i was so scared, i was only seven. what would the priest have done? we all would have suffered because of my silly mistake. _

_ i felt a strong embrace envelop me and take me away from the fire as the priest came from the altar room into the nave. kwan, who had been previously cleaning the golden ornaments on the doors leading to the altar, was now keeping me safe from the heat of the fire.  _

_ “leave right now! go back, don't step inside the church again today, you devils!” the priest screamed at us and then hurried to find a cloth and water to extinguish the fire. my eyes were wide, but kwan took me by the hand and helped me out. we all were walking back inside of the orphanage with our heads down, expecting the worst. when we finally reached our shared room, i started crying.  _

_ “shh, it's okay, it's okay, yoojun. we'll be fine, don't you worry, okay?” kwan said gently to me as he tucked me into bed. it was getting cold as the night was nearing. _

_ hyeon came and gave me a few soft pats on the head. he also smiled at me and said that things will be okay, and i believed him wholeheartedly. _

_ the black-robed father burst through the door suddenly and i stopped crying briefly, only to jump at the expression he was making at us. his face was red with anger and his fists were clenched at his sides, as if he was ready to throw a punch. _

_ “i've had it with you all,” the preacher started, then his gaze shuffled from kwan, to me, to hyeon, to the rest. jiyoo hid behind sang, as he was just as frightened by the man as i was at the time. “you all have been so bothersome to me, and today, you really pushed your limits. the painting that caught on fire was burnt beyond repair. tonight, as punishment, you will not eat dinner. from tomorrow onwards, you will not eat breakfast and dinner. only lunch. kwan, you're coming with me.” _

_ i didn't realize i had been holding onto kwans hand up until it was ripped from me. kwan slowly approached the door and left into the halls. the priest slammed the door behind him and they were gone. i kept thinking about what he could do to my brother. i didn't want him to get beat up, or cursed at as we usually are. i had hoped everything would go well and that kwan wouldn't receive any ill treatment, but the tears of fear and sorrow returned to my eyes and before long, i was crying again. jiyoo, who had been watching all this time from behind sang also started crying, but he was quieter than me.  _

_ “guys, come on, curfew is soon… if we don't get to eat then we should try to rest at least, okay?” hyeon interrupted our sobs with some words of reason. he grabbed jiyoo gently by the hand and lead him to his bed, sang had already climbed into his own.  _

_ “will big brother be okay, hyeonie?” i asked clumsily. i wiped my nose and eyes with my sleeve and plopped my head onto the pillow, trying my best to calm myself. obviously, it was hard, i was the biggest crybaby of us all. always have been and will probably continue being- but my brothers never once judged or scolded me for it.  _

_ “im sure he will be. come on, yoojun, we cant just expect the worst all the time. trust me!” hyeon replied and i felt a little better.  _

_ but then… we waited. and waited. a nun had come by to tell us it was bedtime and kwan was still not back. tears started streaming onto my face once more, but i tried not to cry again. _

_ \- - - _

_ the priest walked through the dark hallway, and kwan followed suit. in the main hall, where were a few bookshelves, a table with some chairs and a grandfathers clock, the light was on and a pile of green could be observed in the corner. _

_ “as for you,” the elder began, “you will be kneeling on frozen peas. for two hours. no breaks, either. i trusted you with supervising your little friends and you didn't do a good job. i will send sister dahyun after you when its time. do not try to reason with me on this, or i will add even more time to your punishment.” _

_ kwans head hung low as he inched closer to the peas. he hated this method. he and the others have been through this before once and it hurt so bad.  _

_ “please forgive us, father, we didn't mean to burn that painting, yoojun is young and he happened to trip-” kwan started mumbling in hopes of changing the priests mind. _

_ “do not talk back to me.” _

_ but the priest was too full of himself to be able to be persuaded. _

  
  


_ two sorrowful and painful hours had passed and sister dahyun was there to help kwan up to his feet. she slowly stepped towards the child, trying her best not to startle him. _

_ “are you alright, kwan?” she asked as she extended a hand towards him. his eyes, glassy with tears, moved from the floor to the woman in front of him. his hand reluctantly grabbed onto her own and he finally managed to get up from the floor. _

_ “im fine,” he replied with a small pout. the nun didn't press the matter any further, instead focusing on taking small steps so kwan could keep up. _

_ “you know, you're really strong and responsible for your age. do not listen to the priest, child. im sorry you have to go through all of this, i wish i was there when everything happened. i would have taken the blame if i were. you kids go through so much already… sometimes i really feel like that man is soulless.” she rambled, and ended her sentence with a deep sigh.  _

_ “but, sister, i couldn't stop yoojun from tripping and i didnt know how to put out the fire…” the little boy couldn't hold in his tears anymore, and as they streamed down his cheeks freely, he let out a little sound. immediately, the nun crouched a bit to be of height with the nine year old. she then cupped his cheeks with her soft, warm hands and wiped his tears away. _

_ “you are strong. you will realize, sooner or later, that the way you act so selflessly now is exactly why you're so strong.” she replied, then got up to walk again. as soon as they arrived in front of the boys’ room, kwan wiped his face once more, and tried his best to smile. in a way, he was happy he could be back with his brothers. _

_ upon entering, sang, who had gotten up earlier to stretch and go use the restroom, was first to notice kwan. his immediate instinct was to run up to him and hug him.  _

_ “our big bro is here! guys, wake up!” sang whisper yelled at his roommates, knowing full well none of them were really truly asleep. _

_ “kwan!” they all uttered in sync, happy he was finally back. _

_ “kwanie, what did the father do to you?” asked jiyoo, who was already clinging to his older brothers torso. _

_ “nothing, guys, im okay! he only yelled at me and… gave me a lecture!” kwan said with hesitance. he had to lie. he didn't want the others to worry to much. _

_ as the morning suns rays started shining through the windows in their shared room, a nun knocked on the door before entering. she had been sent to announce each of the boys’ chores for the day. hyeon was the one who had to sweep and dust through the main hall, kwan had to mop the hallways and kitchen and so on. _

_ after truly waking up and brushing off that morning grogginess, hyeon went to do his job. and thats when he noticed the pile of peas left over from last night. he was a smart kid, so he pieced it all together. kwan had lied. _

  
  


“wow. am i the only one that just remembered that day so vividly all of a sudden?” asked hyeon as he scratched the back of his head.

“no, im pretty sure we all did, haha. but its okay! at least now were all out of that hell hole and we get to eat all we want! sorry for um… triggering all of us like that.” sang replied with a small chuckle. he was sort of nervous, he didn't want any of them to be mad at him but they all were better than that. they loved him way too much to mind.

and so, the brothers dug into their food. except for hyeon, who was still thinking about the way kwan lied to them that night. he wanted to speak about it, and he thought really hard about how to approach the situation, but he had no idea. he felt like it would ruin the mood if he brought up the subject that had been dropped already. surely he would be able to talk to kwan about it some other time. he needn't worry, right? of course. 

yoojun, who sat across from sang, started thinking about how even now, he was still a little crybaby. he didn't cry when he was in pain, but he cried when his brothers were. when he was seven, he cried from fear and regret. now, he cried when things got too unfair. when things didn't go their way, when they were wronged. he hasn't cried in a while, though. he was proud of himself for managing to go a few months without shedding any tears, but little did he know that tomorrows heist would make him cry the most hes cried in years.

**Author's Note:**

> for reference, i will be stating each of my ocs faceclaims below! 
> 
> kwan (22) - chan of a.c.e  
> hyeon (22) - jinyoung of cix  
> sang (21) - hyunjin of stray kids  
> jiyoo (20) - soobin of txt  
> yoojun (20) - yeonjun of txt
> 
> they are in no way supposed to associated with the idols themselves though, i am simply using their appearances as references!


End file.
